THE COTTAGE GAT DENE IT 
[April is. 
Smoke-stained Wall (J. II .).—“ An old vinery heated by flues in the j 
bark wall has been fitted up with hot-water pipes, and the fronts of the 
fines removed. The soot has been well cleaned away from the bricks, but 
these still pertinaciously refuse to be whitened; a rusty yellow prevails, 
although repeatedly limed. What appliance will neutralize the ammonia, 
or sulphur, or both?” If the case were our own, we should have the 
stained portion covered with a thin coat of Parker’s cement. It would 
then take a coat of whitening, we think. Have any of our other corres¬ 
pondents been similarly situated; and, if so, did they succeed in obtain¬ 
ing a remedy ? 
Red Sand (S. B.).— If this be washed thoroughly, until no colour is 
imparted to the water, it might do for potting plants. Rut it is impossi¬ 
ble to give a decisive opinion without seeing a sample. 
Camellias (Mary Ormond). —‘These can be obtained of any of the 
florists who advertise in our columns. 
Covers (/. H.). —The cover for our third volume may be obtained at 
Liverpool, from Messrs. Orr and Co., North John Street, as well as at 
2, Amen Corner. 
A Lover of Flowers from Childhood. —Will you oblige the Rev. 
J. Licvre, Little Ashby Rectory, Lutterworth, by informing him whether 
he can have the same workman as you employed to erect a Fortune’s pit? 
Tiioulouse Geese (A New Subscriber ).—Will some one of our readers 
inform us where these geese, or their eggs, can be obtained? 
Rhubarb and Raspberries (J. Be wick e ).—Either guano or sul¬ 
phate of ammonia may be employed to these, and will be especially bene¬ 
ficial to the rhubarb. Do not now apply them to your raspberries until 
they are in bloom. 
Monthly Parts (.4 Country Curate). —As we appear in weekly num¬ 
bers, we cannot, prospectively, do more for the monthly parts than give in 
the last number of the month calendars of operations for the next month. 
Capons (A Lady). —We cannot advise upon this cruel process. You 
will find information in Richardson’s shilling book, “ The Domestic Fowl.” 
Hair Falling Off (J. T.).—Rub very fine salt down to the roots 
of your hair twice a week. We have known this simple remedy to be 
effectual. Never mind if your hair does become thin ; most people of 
intellect are similarly situated. 
Bee-hives (A Recent Subscriber). —You have painted Mr. Payne’s 
cottage hive over the top as well as the sides, and ask, “Would there 
be any objections to my putting on top hives ten inches wide by seven 
deep ? Is it very commonly needful to place three small hives on in 
summer? ” You have no milkpan similar to those used by Mr. Tayne, 
and ask, “ Would a slate stone cut round, and projecting several inches 
beyond the hive, keep these sufficiently drj r ? Are Mr. Payne’s small 
hives also painted ? Should putty be used to stop any small crevices in 
the straw ?” Ten inches by seven is too large for small hives—eight by 
seven is the proper size. Three small hives arc reciuired only for a very 
j strong stock, and that only in an extraordinary good season. Zinc in the 
i form of a milkpan, with a piece of stone or slate laid upon it to prevent 
1 its being blown off by the wind, answers very well; a flat slate is not 
sufficient protection. The small hives are not painted, nor need the large 
ones be on the top. Use no putty. 
Pomegranate (J. M. S.). —The pomegranate generally flowers easily 
enough, trained like a peach-tree against a south wall, in good rich soil, 
on a dry or well-drained bottom. When it refuses to flower, as in your 
case, the reason, generally, either is that it groAvs too strong, or that it is 
half starved. If the former, root pruning is a remedy ; and if the latter, 
the border must be enriched, or drained, or both. It flowers on the cur- 
1 rent season’s growth, like the grape vine, and like it ought to be close 
pruned every spring. When pomegranates are kept in pots or boxes, to 
stand out in summer, they require the shelter of an outhouse in winter; 
and it is a safe plan to force them gently from April to the end of May, 
and then to inure them gradually to the open air ; their flowers are then 
more certain, and they come earlier. 
Climbers (I. T. P .).—For gay summer climbers, as you have Mau- 
randya and Tropoeolum Lobbianum, get Eccremocarpus scaber, Lophos- 
phermum Hendersonii , Mandenilla suuveolem (fine), Tropceolum pentn- 
phyllum (fine), and Acacia prostrata. Abutilon striatum , though not a 
climber, is a beautiful thing to plant out against a wall, pole, or trellis, 
and can hardly have too rich a soil. A list of plants for rock-work, and 
roots, will be found at p. 90 of our first volume. 
Myrtle Leafless. — W. F. says, “ I have a fine myrtle standing 
about 3$ feet high; last spring one of the principal branches lost its 
leaves, and during the summer it died. This spring another of them has 
scarcely a leaf left upon it, though on raising the bark there is every 
appearance of life.” We have two plants now' in a similar state, brought 
on by the centre of the ball having been allowed to get too dry for a long 
; time. We cut back the whole of the branches about one-half their 
length, and reduced the small side branches also, and put the plant into 
a warm vinery. 
Liquid-Manure (M.). —Your plan of sowing three cwt. per acre of 
gypsum over your grass land, and immediately watering it with your 
liquid manure, is not a bad suggestion ; but we should prefer mixing the 
gypsum with the liquid-manure in the tank; it would more certainly 
combine with, or fix, the ammonia. Neither would we apply “ too strong 
liquid-manure” for the rain to reduce to a proper strength; we should 
prefer diluting it properly before applying it. Answers to other questions 
next week. 
Domestic Economist (R. C.). —Nearly all the subjects will be con¬ 
tinued in our columns. 
Potatoes in Shaded Garden ( Vulpis Venator). —We fear that 
potatoes planted in a garden having “ very little sun, except in the morn¬ 
ing,” would not be very productive under any circumstances; and planting 
them so late a* the beginning of April will render them still more liable 
to be destroyed by the potato murrain. Answers to other questions next 
week. 
Distemper in Dogs (Mo use ).—What is thus commonly named, is 
really an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the animal’s nostrils 
and windpipe; properly treated it is usually curable, but there is no 
specific cure. Each case should be treated according to its symptoms : 
if the dog is costive, give him, according to his size, from half a grain to 
three grains of calomel mixed with a similar quantity of tartrate of anti¬ 
mony ; give this powder on a piece of meat or in milk ; if the dog is sick 
or purged do not give the above medicine. Afterwards give twice a day, 
for two or three days, a pill made of powdered digitalis, 1 or 2 grains; 
antimonial powder, 2 or 4 grains; nitre, 4 or 8 grains. If the dog is weak, 
or much discharge from his nose, gi\^ twice a day a pill made of pow¬ 
dered gentian, 10 to 20 grains ; ginger, 5 grains; powderedcascarilla bark, 
10 to 20 grains. If, with these symptoms, there is purging or vomiting, 
add to the pill from one quarter of a grain to 2 grains of powdered opium. 
If the discharge is offensive from the nose, give a teaspoonfnl of yeast 
daily. If the dog is giddy, or there are other symptoms of his brain being 
affected, put a seton in his neck and in his loins. If the dog is weak give 
him broth and other nutritious food. — W. C. S. [Mr. Spooner will give, 
in due course, the characteristics of dogs.] 
Bees (.4 Tyro Bee-Keeper). — Ventilation — we cannot give you advice 
as to this until we know whose system you follow. The direction to ven¬ 
tilate when the thermometer is at 70 °> means when the thermometer 
outside the hive indicates that temperature; for a hive is always "0° 
within. You next ask, if box hives require constant protection ? Boxes 
must be protected from wet; and when bell glasses are used these must 
be covered with an empty hive or box, and the milk-pan cover placed 
upon this. A May, or early June, swarm when hived into a straw hive 
will supply from 15 to 25 pounds of honey in a fair season, if properly 
attended to. Room must be given, and at the time, as recommended in 
The Cottage Caudener, vol. ii, p. 104. 
Ipomcea Rubro Cierulea (M.D.P.). —“Can I grow this without 
risk of the red spider, by training it along a slip of wood three inches 
wide, well painted with clay, sulphur, and soft soap?” This is your 
question, and we think it is worth a trial. The only available article, so 
far as the spider is concerned, is the sulphur; and instead of depending 
too much on the paint, it would be desirable to renew the sulphur during 
the hot season several times. For your encouragement the writer may 
mention, that he has a peach-tree very near the cistern and hot-water 
pipes ; and he has found boarding the trellis beneath, and using sulphur, 
has this season, as yet, freed the tree from the red spider, to which it for¬ 
merly was always more or less liable. 
Cuttings of Roses and Lemon-scented Verbena (Beginner). — 
There is no absolute necessity for bell-glasses for such purposes, though 
most plants will strike sooner with them if properly managed. The failure 
of those planted in pots, and set in frames, in a shady border, in the 
autumn, might be owing to several reasons : first, the want of drainage— 
the pots should have been half filled, instead of having a few sherds; 
secondly, the soil—half sand and half garden soil—would be too heavy if 
not previously well prepared; an addition of leaf-mould would have been 
an advantage: thirdly, perhaps the place was too shady; in spring and 
autumn we prefer a place exposed to the sun ;—see what has been said by 
Mr. Fish, and also Mr. Beaton, lately: fourthly, were the cuttings well 
chosen ? hard stems would hardly strike at that season, and young ones 
would require considerable care, to prevent an excess ot moisture and an 
excess of evaporation. Read the articles referred to, which you will find 
in late numbers; and if there is anything abtruse, inquire again, and 
state shortly and clearly your difficulty. For your encouragement, we may 
tell you that you will strike cuttings of such things, and almost any¬ 
thing else, with a tithe of the trouble now , more especially if after being 
made a few days you can give them a little bottom-heat, and choose the 
nice young side shoots, cutting them off close to the stem, and with a 
nice heel adhering to them. 
Nutt’s v . Taylor’s Hive (A Subscriber). — You ask, what are the 
advantages and disadvantages of Nutt’s and Taylor’s bar hives? and 
what becomes (in Nutt’s system) of the young queen which would other- 
Avisc go off with the swarm? Nutt’s hives are too large, except for a 
very few districts; and the honey, if any is ever obtained from them , is 
always stained Avitli pollen and brood. Taylor’s are a much more suitable 
size; and the honey obtained from them is fine. The queen would be 
destroyed in the embryo state. 
Rustic Furniture (Ibid). —There is a little book, with twenty-five 
plates, entitled, “ Ideas for Rustic Furniture.” Mr. Wright, bookseller, 
Havmarket, has a copy, we think. 
Name of Insects (M. R .).—The insects you have sent, which were 
found close to a peach-tree, arc a species of Millepede, Polydrsmus com - 
planatus. You will find a description of them at page 139 uf our second 
volume. 
London : Printed by Harry Wooldridge, Winchester High Street., 
in the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar, and Published by Willi am 
Somerville Orr, at the Office, No. 2 , Amen Corner, in the Parish of 
Christ Church, City of London.—April 18th, 1850. 
